Norwalk man fatally shot following argument

Published 2:01 pm, Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Norwalk Police investigate a fatal shooting late Wednesday afternoon at 119 South Main St. in Norwalk.

Hour photo / Alex von Kleydorff

Norwalk Police investigate a fatal shooting late Wednesday afternoon at 119 South Main St. in Norwalk.

Photo: 2012 The Hour Newspapers

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Hour Photo/ Alex von Kleydorff. Norwalk Police crime scene investigator Art Weisgerber takes some photos at a shooting late Wednesday Afternoon at 119 South Main St.

Hour Photo/ Alex von Kleydorff. Norwalk Police crime scene investigator Art Weisgerber takes some photos at a shooting late Wednesday Afternoon at 119 South Main St.

Photo: 2012 The Hour Newspapers

Image 3 of 6

Hour Photo/ Alex von Kleydorff. Norwalk Police investigate a shooting late Wednesday Afternoon at 119 South Main St.

Hour Photo/ Alex von Kleydorff. Norwalk Police investigate a shooting late Wednesday Afternoon at 119 South Main St.

Photo: 2012 The Hour Newspapers

Image 4 of 6

Hour Photo/ Alex von Kleydorff. Norwalk Police investigate a shooting late Wednesday Afternoon at 119 South Main St.

Hour Photo/ Alex von Kleydorff. Norwalk Police investigate a shooting late Wednesday Afternoon at 119 South Main St.

Photo: 2012 The Hour Newspapers

Image 5 of 6

Hour Photo/ Alex von Kleydorff. Norwalk Police investigate a shooting late Wednesday Afternoon at 119 South Main St.

Hour Photo/ Alex von Kleydorff. Norwalk Police investigate a shooting late Wednesday Afternoon at 119 South Main St.

Photo: 2012 The Hour Newspapers

Image 6 of 6

Hour Photo/ Alex von Kleydorff. Norwalk Police detectives and Crime Scene Investigaors set up in front of 119 So. Main St. after a man was shot Wednesday late afternoon.

Hour Photo/ Alex von Kleydorff. Norwalk Police detectives and Crime Scene Investigaors set up in front of 119 So. Main St. after a man was shot Wednesday late afternoon.

Photo: 2012 The Hour Newspapers

Norwalk man fatally shot following argument

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NORWALK -- A city man was fatally shot in the stomach Wednesday afternoon, prompting a massive police response and the temporary lockdown of a South Norwalk elementary school.

Norwalk Police Chief Harry Rilling said the incident has been classified as a homicide, and detectives are investigating.

"My understanding is there is no connection to any other incident and it seems to be a spontaneous argument that erupted between two people who knew each other," Rilling said.

Norwalk Police Sgt. Tom Fern said the shooting occurred at about 3:30 p.m. in the driveway of a multi-family home at 119 South Main St.

The shooting was not random, he said, and the general public is safe, although the suspect remained at large Wednesday evening.

Fern would not disclose a motive for the shooting, but an eyewitness said the incident devolved from a verbal confrontation over a woman.

"Right now we're in the very early stages of the investigation," Fern said. "We have identified persons of interest."

Witnesses said the victim appeared to be in his mid-50s, though his exact age could not immediately be confirmed.

Police would not say how many suspects are involved.

A South Norwalk resident who witnessed the shooting said there was only one shooter. The suspect, a black male possibly in his mid-30s, fled the scene on foot up South Main Street, according to the eyewitnesss, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution.

Police would not say what type of weapon was used, nor would they confirm how many shots were fired.

Witnesses reported hearing one shot from a high caliber handgun, but authorities would not comment on those accounts.

The victim reportedly collapsed in the driveway of 119 South Main St. An evidence marker was placed next to blood stain in the driveway.

The victim was transported by a police-escorted ambulance to Norwalk Hospital.

More than a dozen officers responded to the corner of South Main and Concord streets, and cordoned off the area with yellow police tape.

Residents who heard the commotion looked on from behind the tape as officers collected evidence and interviewed witnesses.

Police said Side By Side Elementary School was put on temporary lockdown as a precaution. A school bus carrying children pulled off to the side of the road for about 30 minutes while police conducted their investigation.

The Rev. Nellie Mann, a chaplain for the Norwalk Police Department, followed the flashing police cars to the crime scene.

Mann was saddened to learn about the violence in South Norwalk, and she prayed for the victim and his family.

"We don't need this in our community," she said. "This is not a war zone. We should not be afraid to walk out into the yard in our community."